Training Hall One

Laura let out a quick yell and threw herself at the newcomer. It was a man much taller than her, with hugely broad shoulders and massive arms. He wore a black pair of jeans, a black turtle neck, and a black stocking over his head. She arched her body and threw out a sidekick, only to have her foot caught in mid-air and her leg broken with a quick snap of the man’s wrist.

Sharon took two quick steps and punched the man in black in the chest, and for the first time in ages, she did not knock someone down. He twisted at the waist and spun Laura through the air, clubbing Sharon in the shoulder with the smaller girl. Laura screamed as she felt ribs snap against her stone teammate.

“Bastard,” she hoarsely gasped as he dropped her, sure she was out of the fight. Sharon threw a series of punches at her opponent, all of which he blocked with meaty forearms. He snapped an arm out and locked his grip around her wrist, then pivoted on the balls of a foot and flung her over his head and down into the hood of the Honda they had been hiding behind. The impact blew out the front wheels and collapsed the compact car into the asphalt of the road. On the ground next to the two combatants Laura felt the relieving coolness wash over her injuries as the broken bones and torn muscles began to knit together.

A metallic whirring came from the multiple barrels of the weapon slung under Drew’s left forearm. The barrels began to rotate, spinning like an old-time Gatling gun, and the gun released a burst of steam from a small vent in the bottom. Smoke rose from the broad back of the man as a dozen holes appeared in his dark shirt, red blisters forming on his skin. The man again spun, this time throwing Sharon at Drew. A bright light flashed between them as she impacted Drew’s forcefield before it shorted out, unable to cope with the force of her impact. The pair flew back crashing into the front of a small hardware store.

Before the large man could advance to finish off the two a large gray shape shot out of the darkness as a timber wolf collided with the back of his knees, causing him to stumble. As he sought to regain his balance Laura stood behind him, grabbed the neck of his shirt and pulled back. The man in black fell heavily to the ground, suddenly beset with kicks from Laura and a snarling Elvis. He swung an arm out and batted El away then reached out to snatch one of Laura’s ankles, breaking it and tossing her to the side. El lay still next to a dented truck door, blood running from where his muzzle impacted it causing the dent.

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“Jesus guy, really! What do you have against my ankle?”

Before the silent man could rise further than to a sitting position Sharon launched herself out of the ruined storefront. Her wings spread and roaring Sharon collided with him. As the two wrestled on the ground the main pulled Sharon in close and headbutted her, sending broken bits of stone flying from her face. The man in black stood up and kicked Sharon in the chest sending her sailing into the distance.

Laura, her ankle freshly healed again, jumped onto the man’s back and wrapped her arms around his neck applying the tightest choke hold she could. Perhaps she could choke him into unconsciousness. Her hopes were dashed as he reached up, pulled her right arm away from his neck and broke it. Laura ground her teeth together, angled her waist to the side and began battering his back with knee strikes.

“Go down you bastard!”

Laura noticed that the man had not released her arm, but had turned his head to watch the bones mend. Her arm straightened and popped back into place.

“Jokes on you, you can’t stop me. I can’t hurt you but I can damn sure outlast you.” The man sighed and pulled Laura off his back. She kicked and thrashed as he walked to a wall beside the hardware store. When he reached it he knocked the top of the wall off with a quick kick, cinder blocks flying and exposing the metal rebar inside the wall. “Oh you really are a bastard,” Laura yelled as the man hoisted her into the air over the wall.

He smoothly slid her down, impaling her chest with two long rebars, Laura screaming and cursing his parents as he did so. He stepped back two paces to watch her, then shook his head when the girl started to pull herself up the twin pieces of metal running her through. He stepped back up to her and bent the ends of both rebars back towards Laura. Laura struggled for several seconds and then went limp knowing escape was futile. The man’s voice was deep, yet surprisingly gentle when he finally spoke.

“Umm, just want you to know I am sorry about that.”